First track day questions

[R3K]

Welcome to the world of the trackday junkie!

I'll try to answer your questions in order and also add some extra info you might find helpful.

1. The Bilt stuff is decent enough but will probably only last about one crash (which is all it really needs to do right?) before a seam opens up or something like that. My rule of thumb is to get the best level of protection you can afford so it's up to you to determine how much the skin on your hands is worth to you, or how much you value your head, feet, etc. As a beginner, you probably won't be setting track records or anything like that so a $2500 ultra protective suit most likely won't be necessary, but if you could easily afford that, why not get the best stuff you can afford for the added protection the more expensive suit would offer? Then you could always sell it if the motorcycle trackday thing turns out to not be your thing. Buying gear is definitely a subjective decision tho so how much you should spend is entirely up to you, but when it comes to my safety, my rule of thumb is to stick with the name brand stuff (their product testing is normally cutting edge) and not skimp on what I get because of price. I'd rather spend a little extra to get the added protection than to get something that offers less protection simply to save a few bucks,and end up regretting it.

2. There is absolutely no need for slicks or track biased tires for a beginner track rider. As long as your street tires have ample life left on them, you will be fine, so I wouldn't waste the money buying tires, especially slicks, at this early stage in your track riding career.

3. Sometimes lunch is provided, and sometimes it's not so it's best to bring enough food/snacks to get you thru the day just in case. I'd suggest bringing light foods/snacks to eat throughout the day so that you don't get sluggish after eating a heavy meal then trying to go out and muscle the bike around the track. And above all else, bring plenty of water. It will be hot out there in May and you'll want to hydrate the night before, and continue drinking water from the time you get up the morning of the trackday. It will help you in the long run toward the end of the day.

4. There is no gas station at the track so the closest station would be in Pahrump. My suggestion would be to just bring a 5 gallon gas can full of gas and what you don't use can go into your car/truck.

5. I'd highly recommend you don't ride your bike to the track because if something goes wrong and you have a mechanical issue, or crash, you have no way of getting your bike home. If you don't have a truck, I'd suggest you look into adding a tow hitch to your car (they're relatively cheap) and just rent a motorcycle specific trailer from UHaul ($15 per day last time I checked) and go that route. The motorcycle specific trailer is the lightest trailer they have, it has a wheel chock of sorts in the front to help support the bike, and it also has tie down points in it to help secure the bike. Not sure what kind of car you have, but I've seen a guy a few times now that towed his bike to Pahrump with a Volkswagen Golf! As for stands, tools, etc., you shouldn't need anything more than your basic tool set that came with the bike. As a beginner riding a street legal bike, you more than likely won't need to do anything with it but ride it. No need for stands or anything special at this point.

6. There really isn't anywhere indoors to hang out other than the bathroom so do yourself a favor and invest in an EZ-Up pop up tent to provide some shade, and of course, a couple of chairs to relax in.

Helpful hints:
To help make your track days as stress free as possible, I'd suggest creating a checklist of all the things you think you'll need/want to have at the track to make your day at the track as comfortable as possible. Include everything you think you'll want there, no matter how trivial, so that you don't forget it, and don't check the item off the list until it's either on the trailer or in the car/truck. Examples of things to include on the checklist:

bike key (I put mine on the key ring of the two vehicle so that it's impossible to forget it)
wristwatch (gotta know how much time before the next session goes out)
gas cans (prior to creating my checklist, I've forgotten my gas before)
anchors for the EZ-Up
flip-flops
...you get the idea

Hope this helps. There are plenty of people on these forums that can probably add more helpful hints/tricks, but of all the things I've done to make my trackdays the best they could possibly be, it was creating that Trackday Checklist.